I received this book for free from my own shelves in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Steel's Edge
by
Ilona Andrews
It is part of the The Edge #4 series and is a paranormal romance that was published by Ace Books on November 27, 2012 and has 384 pages.
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Other books in this series include [books_series]
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Must Love Hellhounds, Dark and Stormy Knights, Angels of Darkness, Hexed, Fate's Edge, Hex Appeal, An Apple for the Creature, "Magic Gifts", Gunmetal Magic, Innkeeper Chronicles, Magic Bites, Magic Burns, Magic Strikes, Magic Bleeds, Magic Slays, Magic Rises, Magic Bleeds, Burn For Me, Night Shift, Magic Shifts, Magic Binds, White Hot, Wildfire, Iron and Magic, Magic Triumphs, "Gerard Demille and Helen Meet", "Diamond Fire", "Sweep with Me", Clean Sweep, Sweep in Peace, "A Mere Formality", Blood Heir, "The King of Fire", Sapphire Flames, "A Misunderstanding", Emerald Blaze, "The Cool Aunt", One Fell Sweep, Sweep of the Blade, "Silent Blade", Fated Blades, On the Edge, Bayou Moon, "George and Jack in School", Sweep of the Heart , Magic Tides, Small Magics, "The Wilson Building", "Conlan’s Birthday Text", "Dabwaha", "Don't Fight with Fate", “A Bit More of Roman”, “Getting Distracted”, "Sgt Munoz Had to Go", Ruby Fever, "Regina", Magic Tides, "The King of Fire", Magic Claims, "Sandra", "No Heroes", "Purpose", "A Mere Formality", "I Will Explain Everything", "Sanctuary", "Kind Regards"
Fourth in The Edge paranormal romance fantasy…and I am so hoping that Andrews plans to continue this series as I’ve enjoyed this so much! The couple focus is on Charlotte de Ney and Richard Mar.
In 2012, Steel’s Edge won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for Paranormal Worldbuilding.
My Take
Andrews packs a ton of action and emotion into a mere 388 pages. This was intense, and I loved how real Andrews made Charlotte and Richard’s shaky alliance. It’s so easy to “know” a pair are going to become friends and so easy to allow them to become comfortable with each other quickly, but Andrews made them work for that comfort. Even though both had the same goal in mind, neither trusted the other. Made for good readin’!
George and Jack interact quite a bit in this with Rose and Declan having a cameo.
There’s an interesting bit where Charlotte trains Sophie in how to be her companion for their upcoming undercover assignment. Good information on how to follow a trend and yet adapt it to suit your self. Loved the gadgets Charlotte uses. It’s also fascinating to watch George and Jack drift between their undercover roles for the Mirror and acing high society.
There’s an oddly homey quality to the characters for such a weird world. You can’t help but become ensnared by them and want only the best.
The Story
Charlotte has been a healer for twenty years and cannot heal herself. Yet she trusts and knows that Elvei will still love her. They can find another way. Only to have him turn on her, and in turn, she turns on him. Viciously. Righteously. But, oh so wrongly, and Charlotte flees, horrified by how delicious it feels.
Richard Mar is dying, betrayed in a slaver trap, but at least he’s taken down those who were after him.
Together, however reluctantly, they’ll try to take down more.
The Characters
Charlotte de Ney al-te Ran is a powerful healer, The Healer, in Adrianglia. Elvei, Baron Leremine, is Charlotte’s husband. Callis is the slaver dog who adopts her. Lady Augustine al Ran is Charlotte’s patron, her adoptive mother, and one of the first ten.
Richard Mar, a.k.a., Hunter, is a born Edger whose skill is the sword. He hunts slavers to prevent anyone else from suffering the losses he and his family have undergone. Kaldar Mar (see Fate’s Edge, 3) is his brother. Sophie is the little cousin he protects; she copes by learning all she can of defense. Marissa is the ex-wife.
Éléonore Drayton is a 109-year-old Edger and Rose, George, and Jack’s grandmother. Rose is married to Declan (see On the Edge, 1), the Earl Caramine, the Marshall of the Southern Provinces, in Adrianglia while George (he’s a necromancer) and shapeshifting Jack work for the Mirror. Her Grace, Lady Jane Olivia Camarine, Duchess of the Southern Provinces, adores Rose and her siblings and will do what she can to help out.
Melanie Dove is Éléonore’s friend. Malcolm Rooney and those he gathers are just too reluctant to come to the rescue.
Grand Thane Callis, grandfather to the current Adrianglian king and Brennan, is getting married to Marchesa Imelle de Lon. Dekart is a proscribed “plastic surgeon”. Sebastian Lafayette, Comte de Belidor, is also known as Spider.
Jason Parris is ex-military from the Broken, now he’s the “most vicious crime lord in the Cauldron”. Miko is his second-in-command.
The slavers include:
Those involved in the Edge are Kosom, Voshak Corwen, Milhem, Crow will become Voshak’s new second, and Pavel.
The Intrepid Drayton is the ship captained by John Drayton, Éléonore’s son. The one who ran out on his kids.
The Council consists of Viscount Robert Brennan, the king’s very popular cousin, runs the show; Lord Casside is the main investor; Lady Angelia Ermine is an investor, Brennan’s mistress, and interested in training the females; Baron Oleg Rene is one of the Spider’s relatives and is their buyer/scout/trouble fixer, and Lord Maedoc, a retired general and decorated war hero — he provides the muscle. Miranda knows what Brennan likes.
The Weird is all-magic; the Broken is our world with no magic; and, the Edge is that buffer between the two, muting magic, but not eliminating it. In the Edge, it’s every man for him- or herself. The Mirror is a counterespionage agency.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a collage of events: the ship sailing, waves crashing on shore, Charlotte looking quite contemporary in her jeans, scoop-neck T, and red jacket with the magic swirling around her, and Andrew hovering in the clouds.
The title is another metaphor, for Charlotte (and Andrew) find that she has Steel’s Edge.
